March 7, 2019

Tokyo’s most popular cruising spot for gay men is a seven-story building tucked off a back street near the Shinjuku business and shopping area.

On Friday night, a steady stream of salary-men files quietly inside the 24 Kaikan bathhouse, where pretty much anything goes.

Soak in the sauna then walk semi-naked through the dimmed communal sleeping areas, where futons await.

Sample the sights or lie back and wait for someone who likes you, instructs a guide. Signs posted throughout dictate the only constantly visible rule: “gentlemen who chew gum” will be evicted.

Gays in Japan have suffered less outright repression than in Britain or Ireland

Tokyo has a reputation for being one of the world’s more uptight capitals but it hosts one of its most diverse concentration of gay clubs and bars: Shinjuku’s 2-Chome, home to the 24-Kaikan.

The area has coexisted for decades side by side with the straight world beyond its borders.

Lack of activism

This arrangement is, in many ways, very Japanese: discreet, compartmentalized; fastidiously careful about order and details.

Live and let live as long as the outward appearance of things is maintained.

Though tormented by the familiar agonies of personal identity and secrecy, gays in Japan have suffered less outright repression than in Britain or Ireland.

When police there were arresting men in toilets and public parks, Japan didn’t even have an anti-sodomy law.

Nor did it have what Mark McLelland, author of Homosexuality in Modern Japan: Cultural Myths and Social Realities, calls the “anti-homosexual rage” of many Christian cultures, the lethal fuel for homophobia and the “hyper violence” of gay-bashing incidents.

But if Japan has been easier going about its sexual preferences, it also lacks the political and social activism that helped transform the lives of homosexuals elsewhere.

There are still just a tiny handful of openly gay lawmakers

Homosexuals are still not legally recognized in Japanese civil law, and civil unions are prohibited. Gayness is still largely seen as a personal lifestyle choice, not something to be flaunted or argued over on the streets and in parliament.

A group of people is now challenging that status quo.

Thirteen same-sex couples across Japan have gone to court to demand the right to marry. If they win, Japan will be the first Asian country to grant that right.

Suitably enough, they began their claim on Valentine’s Day.

They include a Japanese citizen, Ai Nakajima, who married her German partner, Tina Baumann, in Berlin.

The lack of legal status for their marriage in Japan makes life difficult, laments Baumann. For one thing, she said, if either one gets sick they may be blocked from hospital visits.

This legal fight is backed by a group of corporate lawyers who fear that Japan’s lack of sexual diversity while lagging behind the rest of the developed world, could also be bad for business.

“For the Japanese economy, it is very important to legalize the right (of gay people) to marry,” said Miki Sakakibara, president of the Japan In-House Lawyers Association.

“If you have a diversified environment it will be productive and competitive. This would be great for Japan.”

Public viewpoint

Signs of a shift in public perceptions are growing.

A small number of local governments across the country recognize same-sex partnerships. Last year the Tokyo government banned discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Yet, while most Japanese people support more LGBT rights, political representation is strikingly low.

There are still just a tiny handful of openly gay lawmakers.

Some politicians, meanwhile, seem stuck in the homophobic past.

Last year, Mio Sugita, a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and considered close to prime minister Shinzo Abe, called LGBT people “unproductive” because they do not have children (apparently oblivious to Abe’s own childlessness).

Sugita questioned the use of taxes to support gay couples.

The backlash was swift, forcing the LDP to reprimand her.

Shincho 45, the magazine that published the article later apologized and ceased publication.

That suggests the popular tide has turned and that the 13 couples may win their legal fight.

“We’re not demanding anything special,” one of the plaintiffs, Kenji Aiba, told journalists at the launch of the lawsuit. “We just want to have a chance to stand at the same starting line in our lives.”

Yet, courts in Japan move slowly and have a reputation for quixotic judgments. In the meantime, says Sakakibara, Japan’s LGBT community will live in hope.

March 25, 2013

Every day, we read statistics, studies and reviews on topics regarding health and wellness. Seldom do they surprise or frighten me as much as this one about world sanitation, though: there are 1.5 billion people more in the world with access to cell phones than the number who have access to clean toilets.

According to the United Nations, right now, in 2013, there are 6 billion people who have cell phones and only 4.5 billion who are able to use clean, sanitary bathrooms. That leaves 2.5 billion people without access to basic sanitation which “perpetuates the vicious cycle of disease and entrenched poverty.”

A lack of proper sanitation can lead to contaminating the water supply, thus spreading diseases. In fact, 1,800 children die every day from diseases that could have been preventedby access to a clean toilet, with about a quarter of those kids being from India. In the huge city of Mumbai, its population of 100 million has a 70% rate of cell phone possession and 60% rate of in-home televisions. However, only half of families have toilets, often because sanitation costs more than a simple mobile phone.

“I am determined to energize action that will lead to results. I am calling on all actors – government, civil society, business and international organizations – to commit to measurable action and to mobilize the resources to rapidly increase access to basic sanitation.

“Let’s face it – this is a problem that people do not like to talk about. But it goes to the heart of ensuring good health, a clean environment and fundamental human dignity for billions of people – and achieving the Millennium Development Goals.”

It’s easy to take our bathrooms for granted, to complain when a public facility is less-than-pristine or when our significant other forgets to wipe the counters. I know that when I make lists about things I’m grateful for, I include food, shelter and loved ones, among other things, but rarely remember bathroom despite those being a huge factor in keeping me healthy. It’s incredibly important to recognize the enormity of this issue, and to keep in mind those who are affected by this discrepancy on a daily basis.

October 28, 2012

Public saunas and bathhouses are definitely nothing new. For thousands of years, saunas have existed in one form or another as the perfect way to relax and unwind.
As homosexuality has become more tolerated, the emergence of gay saunas has flourished providing a safe meeting place for gay men. Without wanting to beat around the bush, gay men go to gay saunas for gay sex! It's as simple as that.
And what is wrong with that? It seems that the straight community find it hard to grapple with the idea of gay men visiting a sauna for a quick fondle with other guys. However, the fact remains that gay saunas are actually one of the safest places to have sex. Sauna policies regarding bareback sex are very strict, with many enforcing the use of condoms. With containers dotted around the saunas overflowing with condoms and lube, it is only the most reckless that decide to have unprotected sex.
London's gay saunas are as plentiful as any other major city worldwide. Generally operating a ‘members only' entry policy, saunas in London boast facilities ranging from shower rooms, Jacuzzis and swimming pools to gym rooms, TV lounges and coffee shops. 24 hour opening hours mean that you're never left in the lurch.
When it comes to the type of gay guy you can expect to meet in a London sauna, age does not seem to play a defining factor. On any given night, guys range from retired older Londoners to younger looking twinks. Whatever it is that you're in search of, you're bound to find it in one of London's gay saunas.
The most popular sauna company in London is Chariots Health Club. Chariots are located in six different London areas: Shoreditch, Waterloo, Limehouse, Streatham, Farringdon, and Vauxhall. Each location offers gyms, video lounges, cruising rooms, and much, much more to help you meet other guys. What's more, the saunas are conveniently located near major tube stations making them very easy to reach.
For London Gay Man's listings of saunas that you can visit today.

Contaminated drugs may be circulating in UK capital after death and collapses on gay scene. Plus another man collapses in gay Soho sauna on same night

The Forest Needs help

Adamfoxie Blog Int. (Click the Fox-please)

Adam Gonzalez, Publisher

ONE 💔

ONE (RED) Join The Campaign Vs.AIDS

Free for Nonprofit

If you are known non-profit dealing with LGBT health issues, world hunger, and some health issues in general, We will give you a free spot showing in all 13 pages of this site. You can contact the publisher at adamfoxie@Gmail.comWe reserve the right to choose how this nonprofit fits this media blogging site